Apparatus for repositioning paper documents from lateral to vertical relation

ABSTRACT

A first paper document is vacuum-secured atop a first vacuum belt that extends from a first trailing roller to a first leading roller. A second paper document is vacuum-secured below a second vacuum belt that extends from a second trailing roller to a second leading roller. The first and second trailing rollers are laterally disposed with respect to one another with the first trailing roller being at a lower elevation than the second trailing roller and with the first leading roller positioned below the second leading roller. The first and second leading rollers are centered with respect to the first and second trailing rollers so that the first and second vacuum belts converge toward one another. The first paper document therefore underlies the second paper document when the respective leading edges of the paper documents arrive at the first and second leading rollers.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, generally, to paper-handling machines. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus that receives a pair of documents or other paper documents disposed in lateral relation to one another and discharges them with one document in overlying relation to the other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many printing machines can print two side-by-side documents in approximately the same time required to print a single document. Each document can be personalized, i.e., each of the two documents may be addressed to different individuals. However, after such documents have been printed, moving them to a discharge location with one document disposed on top of the other document is somewhat problematic. In the prior art, documents enter the machine following a forward, longitudinal path of travel. The conventional technique, now in common use, is to move both documents to the left or to the right after they have been printed, i.e., changing their path of travel from longitudinal to transverse. After both documents have traveled sideways to remove them from the first forward path of travel, a first document is then carried forward again and the second document is moved further laterally until it aligns longitudinally behind the first document. Then both documents resume their forward, longitudinal travel.

However, such travel is parallel to and transversely offset from the first forward path of travel.

This stopping and starting and changing of directions increases the mechanical complexity of the machine and slows it down as well. What is needed, then, is a fast, mechanically elegant apparatus that handles two documents disposed in lateral relation to one another and delivers them to a discharge station where one of the documents is positioned atop the other and where the documents do not undergo changes in direction as they flow through the machine.

However, in view of the prior art taken as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill how the identified need could be fulfilled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for an apparatus that receives two paper documents disposed in side-by-side relation to one another and that delivers the paper documents to a discharge station with one of the paper documents disposed atop the other is now met by a new, useful, and non-obvious invention.

A first vacuum belt mounted at a first elevation extends between a first trailing roller and a first leading roller. The first vacuum belt engages a first paper document from below by applying a vacuum thereto and transports the first paper document to the first leading roller. The first leading roller is the lower roller of a pair of confronting, vertically disposed nip rollers.

A second vacuum belt mounted at a second elevation higher than said first elevation extends between a second trailing roller and a second leading roller. The second vacuum belt engages a second paper document from above by applying a vacuum thereto and transports the second document to said second leading roller. The second leading roller is the upper roller of said pair of confronting, vertically disposed nip rollers.

The pair of confronting, vertically disposed nip rollers is centered with respect to the pair of side-by-side trailing rollers. The width of each leading (nip) roller is substantially the same as the width of each trailing roller. The first and second vacuum belts therefore converge toward one another so that the first paper document is positioned below the second paper document when the first and second paper documents arrive at said first and second leading rollers.

A primary advantage of this invention is that the path of travel of the first and second documents is not abruptly changed at any time so that a generally forward path of travel is maintained at all times.

A closely related advantage is that such arrangement allows the novel apparatus to run much faster than a prior art apparatus where the path of travel is from longitudinal to transverse and back to longitudinal.

These and other advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds. The invention includes the features of construction, arrangement of parts, and combination of elements set forth herein, and the scope of the invention is set forth in the claims appended hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the novel apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof;

FIG. 3A is the first view in a six (6) view animation depicting in plan view an increasing amount of lateral overlapping between the first and second paper documents as said first and second paper documents are transported from their respective trailing rollers to their respective leading rollers by their respective vacuum belts;

FIG. 3B is the second view of said six views;

FIG. 3C is the third view of said six views;

FIG. 3D is the fourth view of said six views;

FIG. 3E is the fifth view of said six views; and

FIG. 3F is the sixth view of said six views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will there be seen that an illustrative embodiment of the invention is denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 10.

First vacuum belt 12 is mounted at a first elevation and extends between a first trailing roller 14 and a first leading roller 16. First vacuum belt 12 engages a first paper item 18 from below and transports paper item 18 to said first leading roller 16. As best understood in connection with FIG. 2, said first leading roller is the lower roller of a pair of confronting, vertically disposed nip rollers

Second vacuum belt 20 is mounted at a second elevation higher than said first elevation and extends between a second trailing roller 22 and second leading roller 24. Second vacuum belt 20 engages a second paper item 26 from above and transports the second document to said second leading roller 24. As best understood in connection with FIG. 2, said second leading roller 24 is the upper roller of said pair of confronting, vertically disposed nip rollers.

As depicted in FIG. 1, first and second trailing rollers 14, 22 are laterally disposed with respect to one another.

As also depicted I FIG. 1, first and second leading rollers 16, 24 are centered with respect to first and second trailing rollers 14, 22. First leading roller 16 is not visible in FIG. 1 because it is below second leading roller 24. The width of each of said leading rollers is substantially the same as the width of each of said trailing rollers. First and second vacuum belts 12, 20 therefore converge as depicted in FIG. 1.

Accordingly, first paper item 18 is positioned substantially directly below second paper item 26 when said paper items arrive at nip rollers 16, 24. The respective leading edges of the first and second documents are then grabbed by rollers, not depicted, adjacent the nip rollers on the downstream or leading side thereof so that the first and second paper documents are transported in their vertically stacked relation to one another to another stage of the machine for further handling. For example, the documents may be discharged into an inserter bin, an accumulator, or the like.

Upper nip roller 24 may be positioned in leading relation to lower nip roller 16 to reduce the chances that a thick paper item will become jammed as it passes between said rollers. The respective leading ends of paper documents 18 and 26 may also be longitudinally staggered with respect to one another by any preselected distance. The longitudinal staggering is accomplished by starting first vacuum belt 12 before starting second vacuum belt 20. The amount of staggering is controlled by controlling the amount of time between the starting of the two belts.

FIG. 3A is a plan view depicting the first and second paper documents in lateral relation to one another as they enter the novel apparatus. FIG. 3B depicts the first and second paper documents, in plan view, in slightly laterally overlapped relation to one another as they begin traveling from their respective trailing rollers to their respective leading rollers. FIG. 3C is also a plan view. It depicts the first and second paper documents in more laterally overlapped relation to one another, relative to their FIG. 3B position, as they continue traveling from their respective trailing rollers to their respective leading rollers. FIG. 3D depicts the first and second paper documents in more laterally overlapped relation to one another, relative to their FIG. 3C position, as they continue traveling from their respective trailing rollers to their respective leading rollers, and FIG. 3E depicts the first and second paper documents in almost completely laterally overlapped relation to one another as they arrive at their respective leading rollers. FIG. 3F is a plan view depicting the first and second paper documents in completely laterally overlapped and longitudinally staggered relation to one another as they exit the nip formed by leading rollers 16, 24.

Significantly, paper items 18 and 26 maintain a substantially longitudinal path of travel through apparatus 10. When they are converged toward one another by the converging vacuum belts, they are not required to stop or slow down and they maintain their generally forward path of travel. Thus, the repeated stopping and starting caused by the prior art method of changing from a forward path of travel to a sideways path of travel and back to a forward path of travel is eliminated. The apparatus thus has a simpler construction, is less expensive to build, and can run faster with fewer jams or other malfunctions as compared to the earlier machines of this type.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained and since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween. 

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. A machine for handling paper, comprising: a first vacuum belt that extends from a first trailing roller to a first leading roller; a second vacuum belt that extends from a second trailing roller to a second leading roller; said first and second trailing rollers disposed in lateral relation to one another; said first trailing roller being disposed at a lower elevation than said second trailing roller; said first leading roller positioned below said second leading roller; said first and second leading rollers being centered with respect to said first and second trailing rollers so that said first and second vacuum belts converge toward one another; said first vacuum belt adapted to carry a first paper document on a forward-traveling top surface thereof; said second vacuum belt adapted to carry a second paper document on a forward-traveling bottom surface thereof; said first paper document being disposed in underlying relation to said second paper document when said first and second paper documents arrive at said first and second leading rollers; and said first and second trailing rollers and said first and second leading rollers having a common width. 